Discovering Uranus - It Happened ToDay

Discovering Uranus

March 13, 1781 - The first planet is discovered in modern times - Uranus.

William Herschel, a German astronomer, discovered the planet Uranus on this day in 1781. Not only was this the first discovery of a new planet in modern times, but it was also the planetary discovery made using the telescope.

Uranus, like the Asteres Planetai, or the Seven Heavenly Objects, composed of the five classical planets - Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn - along with the Sun and Moon, are the closest celestial objects that can be seen with the naked-eye. However, in spite of Uranus being the third largest planet, its glow is so dim that the ancient astronomers dismissed it as a planet thinking it was a distant dying star.

Uranus is the ruling planet of Aquarius. The planet is named for the Greek deity Uranus who rules the Sky and is the father of Kronos (Saturn) and grandfather of Zeus (Jupiter). William Herschel would first propose the name Georgium Sidus, Latin for George's planet, in honor of King George III; but Johann Bode, another German astronomer, would rename the planet Uranus to keep the consistency of the mythology inspired naming system.

On this same day in 1930 Clyde Tombaugh, an astronomer from the Lowell Observatory outside Flagstaff Arizona, would announce the discovery of Pluto, which for the next 70 years would be considered the ninth planet

William Herschel was eventually knighted for his significant contributions to astronomy and the understanding of the solar system.

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